Address obstacles to voting for younger voters

While a mail-in ballot system is an opportunity to educate our youth voter populations about mailing — undoubtedly a necessary skill — it also threatens the youth voter turnout.

Myself a Gen-Z voter, and a college student, I am perpetually in transition from one location to another; my “permanent residence” changes with the seasons. As such, I have to frequently alter my voter application online, changing my address and voting county.

Despite my effort to adjust my location for this past primary election — from my school to my home for the summer — I did not receive an absentee ballot as requested.

I later found out that a request form for a mail-in ballot had been sent to my home, laid aside by my mother, but then forgotten.

I was an informed citizen: I adhered to deadlines for requesting an absentee ballot; I contacted my previous voting office to address my lack of absentee ballot. Two separate attempts to contact my voting county failed. I simply forgot to check the mail.

How can we make a postal system easily comprehensible for a population which scarcely checks their mailbox, let alone knows where to purchase stamps?

Youth voters do not and will not prioritize learning about the postal system in order to vote. The most they will do is reference Google with questions — or maybe their parents.

Thus, the more governmental measures that expedite the mail-in process, and the more online informative resources readily available to youth voters, the greater the youth voter turnout come November.

United States Postal Service policy holds that the federal government will cover postage feeds and does not require a stamp for mail-in ballots. This is one step towards reducing obstacles for youth voters.

In short, the government must appeal to youth voter habits. We need efficient and accessible online resources on mail-in ballots.